Disillusioned
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: Cedric and Cordelia have a heart to heart one evening when their conversation turns to recent events.


Disillusioned

Summary: Cedric and Cordelia have a heart to heart one evening when their conversation turns to recent events.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Sofia the First_.

A/N: I figure it's time for a sibling bonding story! And this time, who better to have a bonding moment than Cedric and Cordelia? :) This will discuss the past as well as the present and potential future, so we'll see where their conversation goes. ;) Enjoy!

*Story*

"Cedric?" Cordelia entered her brother's tower later one evening after the girls had gone to sleep. She knew with both Sofia _and_ Calista around, she'd likely never get in some time with Cedric, so she figured it was to her best interest to wait. She glanced around the familiar surroundings, noting that Wormwood was fast asleep on his perch and all of the previously-used items for potions and experiments had been put away. She frowned. Surely he hadn't gone to bed _that_ early…

"Cordelia?" Cedric asked as he glanced down from his spot on top of the staircase. He appeared to be reading a book by the window, allowing the pages to be illuminated by both the moonlight and his wand. "What are you doing here? It's rather late."

The sorceress folded her arms and gave her brother a cheeky smile. "What? Is it 'past my bedtime' already? Don't mother me, Cedric. I'll go to bed when I'm tired." She frowned thoughtfully. "I actually wanted to talk with you, if you wouldn't mind. I had…some things on my mind."

The Royal Sorcerer pondered her request. Lately she'd been opening up to him a bit more, especially since they currently lived under the same roof again for the first time in years. He supposed it was a natural part of most siblings' repertoires, though he himself was rather bad at being too open with people—even with his sister. He set a mark into the book and used his wand to relocate it to its previous position in his bookshelf. "What on earth could be troubling you?"

"Come down and we'll talk. I've got some questions for you, and a few concerns as well…"

Now he was sort of nervous. Cordelia wasn't necessarily known for being overly serious and sentimental about things, and he supposed she was actually more in control of her emotions than he was at this point. But she did seem rather distraught about something, so he decided it was time to step into his big brother role for a change and tend to his sister for once. "Very well. I'll make us a cup of tea."

"Not to worry. I'm a step ahead of you." She waved her wand and tapped the table, producing two steaming cups. "I hope you like Darjeeling."

"Who doesn't?" He smiled as he settled into a chair and accepted the cup, sipping it and sighing in relaxation. "Mm. There's nothing quite like a magical cup of tea. It has a distinct flavoring that normal tea just doesn't have."

"Don't think you're going to distract me from my inquiries over this silly cup of tea, Cedric," Cordelia jested with a sly smile. She also took a sip before placing her cup down. "We need to talk."

"I figured as much. Aside from Sofia and on occasion King Roland, I don't exactly have visitors this late at night. What's on your mind?" He took yet another sip, relishing in the warm liquid.

"It's about this whole Order of the Wand incident."

Cedric choked on his tea before collecting himself and placing the cup down. Okay, clearly with his sister around, he couldn't run the risk of nearly drowning himself in his favorite beverage when she had such crafty questions. He stared at her pointedly. "What of it?"

"So it's true then?" It wasn't necessarily a question on Cordelia's part; it was more like a clarification. She'd heard whispers here and there, so she figured it was best to get answers straight from the source.

"Which part?" Cedric asked slightly defensively. "The part of my rash yet uncertain choice to temporarily join in order to overtake Enchancia to prove a point? Yes, it's true. The part of my revelation to Sofia and her family that it had been my deep, dark, secret quest for a good number of years, including my pursuit of her amulet to do so faster? That's also true. For Merlin's sake, Cordelia, you already seem to _know_ the answers you seek, so I don't know why you'd bother asking."

"Because it's rather hard for me to believe the well-behaved Cedric from our childhood would do such a thing," she countered with a roll of her eyes. "Let's face it, Ceddy. _I_ was always more of the mischievous one when we were younger. Up until the _incident_ , you had been so studious and precise with all of your mannerisms. Even after that, you were so shy and introverted, hardly spoke to anyone if you didn't have to… And the way Mother daunted on you—oh, _that_ must have done it."

The sorcerer frowned and folded his arms as she laughed. "Very funny. No, I made my own choices, no matter what Mother may say. And yes, I've atoned for them and apologized to the family, especially to Sofia." He sighed. "I think… Goodness, Cordelia, I don't even know how to say this without sounding overly sentimental and emotional…" He gently rubbed his forehead as a terrible thought came to his mind. "I think I was responsible for a bit of her innocence disappearing that day." That hurt much worse to voice out loud than it did to have bouncing around inside his mind these last several months. "I mean, think about it. She considers me one of her closest friends. We've known each other a long time now, and we work together as mentor and apprentice many times a week. She looks up to me, enjoys spending time with me, and reveres me as the 'greatest sorcerer ever.' And what do _I_ do? Act on my darkest wishes and take over her kingdom… _after_ I blurted out that we'd never been friends, which just chipped away at a little more of her barrier of innocence, I'm sure, even if I didn't truly mean it."

Cordelia's eyes remained slightly widened. That was a lot to take in, especially in such a little bit of time. She had never really had any doubt that her brother would eventually snap, especially after seeing his personality switch in childhood and even in the last year or two when she'd visited less frequently. After all, everyone had a breaking point. But the fact that he was so concerned over taking his kindhearted apprentice's metaphorical veil of protection from over her eyes was even a surprise to her. "Cedric…"

"I know it sounds crazy, Cordelia, but if I ever added to Sofia's distrust of people—if she ever started showing signs of being less like herself—I can't say I wouldn't blame myself and take full responsibility for it. It's horrible to think, but…even after she and I spoke and she forgave me, and even though we're completely honest with each other and are still friends, I can't help but feel I've begun putting up my own barriers around her. I suppose it's like I don't want her to see into my mind and…have those feelings of betrayal and anger resurface within her again. N-Not that I have plans to do such a thing ever again." He clasped his hands around his tea. "I made them all a promise: I would never do such a thing again. Doing so would lose their trust and Sofia's kindness, and I honestly think it would destroy me if I ever lost that…" He chuckled bitterly. "To think, at one point not too long ago, I couldn't have cared less about that girl, and now…"

"She's part of your family," Cordelia finished for him, smiling thoughtfully. "She has a way of doing that, hasn't she? Sofia's a very special girl, Cedric, and you're rather fortunate she looks up to you and cares about you the way she does." She sighed. "It wasn't until I had Calista that I realized how selfish I was when I was younger, but the moment I had someone in my life who looked up to me and trusted me with her entire being, that's when I realized I needed to change. Granted, I'm Cordelia the Conjuror, and I'm still going to have my moments of vanity, but still..."

" _Moments_?" Cedric scoffed playfully, earning a slap on the arm. "I'm just saying… But yes, I see where you're coming from. And I really am trying to do better. My bitterness just darkened my heart and my mind, and it took Sofia and even a few others (such as Calista) to bring me back around again. I don't _want_ to be negatively known in the sorcery world anymore… I want them to see me for who I am _now_. It's taken a long time, but I'm finally happy, Cordy. I can't go back to that dark place again…"

"Trust me, we won't let you." She smiled. "You've got your family and your _royal_ family with you and on your side. It's impossible to revert to your old ways when you have such wonderful people helping you. Just give yourself the benefit of the doubt, dear brother, and you'll see that you have so much potential. After all, not just anyone can become a Royal Sorcerer."

He smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Cordelia."

"Hmm. Now I have another question to ask, since we're on this topic… And it pains me to even ask." She glanced down at her hands before looking back at her brother. "About Greylock…" She frowned as he sighed. "Is it true?"

"I'm afraid so. I've not heard from him since the incident with the Order of the Wand, but from what I understand, the other sorcerers had gone after those with Medusa Stones. It's highly probable that he was incarcerated…but I can't honestly say I know what became of him."

"He was a trickster for certain, but he was such a good guy." Cordelia huffed and folded her arms. "I can't believe he'd do something so stupid. No offense." She shook her head as Cedric shrugged. "If I _ever_ get _my_ hands on Grimtrix the Good, he'll be so very sorry. Greylock was one of my best friends growing up, or I'd like to think so. Granted, I know you two didn't get along well, but still…"

"We actually became friends not too long ago when he'd come to visit with King Magnus," Cedric informed her. "We saved our royal families together, and we sort of made up. Now, I don't know what to think of him. I'm just as angry with him as I was with myself, but…as far as I could tell, there were never any clear signs of his intent. King Magnus praised him constantly."

"That doesn't necessarily mean he was happy," Cordelia reminded him as she grabbed her tea once again. "People can say wonderful things about you, but if you don't believe them or want to hear them, or if you have other goals in mind, those wonderful things can go in one ear and out the other, I'm afraid." She sipped her tea and placed the cup down. "Hopefully he too can have a change of heart."

"I know. It's disappointing, to say the least, but Sofia has a way of reforming people… Perhaps she will be able to do so with Greylock."

The sorceress giggled. "Maybe we should have Sofia running a Villains' Reform Therapy Session. Price for admission will be a fly cake and a bag of veggies for that bunny of hers."

Cedric laughed. "As silly as it sounds, I could actually see her doing that. And Calista would likely help her, of course."

"Yes, most likely." She smiled. "I love how close they've gotten here lately. Since Calista never had any siblings, I know she probably gets sort of lonely being an only child, so Sofia's stepping up as a 'sister' figure has certainly helped."

"Oh, I'm sure. She's rather good at that."

They spoke for a while longer before realizing the moon was rather high in the sky now, and worse, their teacups were now empty.

"I suppose I should be heading to bed," Cordelia admitted with a small yawn. She stood and magically removed the teacups from the room. "I'll see you in the morning, Cedric." She playfully kissed his forehead, causing him to roll his eyes at her sisterly affection. "Sweet dreams, brother."

"Yes, yes. Good night, Cordy." He smiled as she left. It felt pretty good to have a heart to heart with his sister… He knew his actions as well as Greylock's had caused her some discontent, but talking through it did seem to help. And he'd told her things he never believed he would—things only another sibling would respond to… He couldn't speak of such things with his parents, and as close as they were and as clever as she was, Sofia was still a little too young to understand his confession earlier.

Still, he wouldn't let anything deter him from his quest now. He had moved on, and now his sight was set on a brighter future for himself and others around him. He also knew he needed to continue his lessons and interactions with the princess, because he had a feeling she was going to need all the help she could get soon enough. After all, how many villains at this point had said that she'd not seen the last of them? If even one decided to act on that, he'd step up and protect her with all he had.

After all, she'd done the same for him many times now. It was time to return the favor.

The end


End file.
